Radio frequency shielded robotic telecommunication device testing platform

ABSTRACT

An RF shield for enclosing a robotic tester unit while testing mobile devices. In some embodiments, the RF shield includes at least two conductive RF shield layers separated by an insulator material. In some embodiments, an inner surface of the RF shield is further lined with a RF absorbing material to absorb EM radiation generated within the RF Shield enclosure. In some embodiments, the internal components required for testing, e.g. the robot, are powered via a power conditioner that removes from the power source frequencies above a threshold, e.g. 100 Hz, to eliminate RF signals absorbed into the power lines via radio towers and/or intentionally induced into the power lines to control power equipment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation of and claims the benefit ofU.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/239,705, filed on Aug. 17, 2016,entitled “RADIO FREQUENCY SHIELDED ROBOTIC TELECOMMUNICATION DEVICETESTING PLATFORM”, which is hereby incorporated in its entirety byreference.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to robotically testingtelecommunications devices and, more particularly, it relates to atesting system for performing highly controllable and repeatable testingprotocols using a robot enclosed within a radio frequency (RF) shieldedenclosure to shield the telecommunications devices from ambient RFsignals.

BACKGROUND

The electronics industry is a dynamic industry where new products arecontinually being released and implemented for use by people andbusinesses in the marketplace. Many new products include touch screensthat enable a user to input commands to an electronic device by touchingthe screen of the device rather than relying on traditional inputs suchas buttons and directional control pads.

Before a product (e.g., device, system, software, and/or hardware) isimplemented in the market or made available for consumption, the productoften undergoes testing to ensure that the product is fully functionaland operational upon deployment. The testing may be used to measuredurability, battery performance, application performance, screensensitivity, or other quantifiable aspects of the operation of theelectronic device subjected to the testing.

Traditional testing platforms are configured to test telecommunicationdevices that have traditional inputs, such as buttons, which have afixed location on the device. However, with touch screen enableddevices, an application designer may place input controls anywherewithin the display screen, which may require user interaction todetermine a location of an input control used to perform a desiredaction. Robotic systems may be useful in providing dynamic testingprotocols to robotically simulate user interaction with atelecommunication device. Robotic systems may however, in someinstances, exacerbate the issue of ambient radio frequency (RF) energyinterfering with a telecommunication device under testing conditions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The Detailed Description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an exemplary radio frequency (RF)shielded robotic testing system, in accordance with variousimplementations of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates the exemplary RF shielded robotic testing systemshown in FIG. 1 with doors thereof in closed positions to shield aninterior region of the testing system from ambient RF energy.

FIG. 3 illustrates a side view of the exemplary RF shielded robotictesting system shown in FIG. 1 that includes various system input ports.

FIG. 4 is an illustrative system including a robot positioned within amulti-layered RF-shielded enclosure, a power conditioner, and a userterminal that is communicatively coupled to an actuation controllerpositioned within the multi-layered RF-shielded enclosure, in accordancewith embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process to roboticallysimulate user interactions with a telecommunications device while thetelecommunications device is securely enclosed within an RF-shieldedenclosure, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A radio frequency (RF) shielded robotic device testing platform may beused to perform repeatable testing of a device, such as atelecommunications device that includes a touch screen display. During atesting protocol, an RF-shielded robotic device testing platform mayinitiate various operations of the telecommunication device by engaginga touch screen of the telecommunication device. The operations in thetesting protocol may include, without limitation, initiating voicecalls, transmitting and receiving data (messages, videos, music, etc.),running applications, and performing other operations. By roboticallyinitiating operations such as those described above with respect to thetesting protocol, telecommunication devices may be tested in alaboratory environment using an automated process and include quickcycle times, making the tests relatively inexpensive and repeatable.Results of the testing protocols may be analyzed to determineperformance of the telecommunication device, which may be compared tothreshold performance metrics or used for other purposes.

The testing protocols may be performed within an RF shielded enclosurewhich shields the telecommunication device from ambient RF energy thatis unassociated with (e.g. not generated because of) the testingprotocols and which may potentially interfere with or otherwise affectthe results of the testing protocols. The ambient RF energy may includeambient RF signals, e.g. RF signals generated proximate to the testingenvironment but unassociated with the testing protocol, in addition tonon-signal energy, e.g. RF energy resulting from electrical currenttransfer but that does not carry data such as power transmissioncurrent.

During a testing protocol being performed within the RF shieldedenclosure, the platform may employ one or more tips to engage thetelecommunication device to simulate human interaction with thetelecommunication device, e.g. through one or more buttons and/or atouch screen of the telecommunication device. Such tips may includedifferent shapes, sizes, and materials, which may be representative offingers or objects that humans use to engage the touch screen. Byproviding for robotic testing of a telecommunications device within theRF shielded enclosure, the platform and methods according to the presentdisclosure are able to perform testing protocols at a high throughputrate and also in a highly repeatable manner.

It should be understood that although the disclosure describes severalexamples and related embodiments, the disclosure is not intended to beall-inclusive nor exhaustive in its descriptions. As such, it should beappreciated that the subject matter of the disclosure can be reasonablymodified, rearranged, or otherwise altered, to achieve similar results.

FIG. 1 illustrates an overview of an exemplary radio frequency (RF)shielded robotic testing system 100 that includes an RF-shieldedenclosure 102 having a plurality of walls defining an interior region104 thereof. The system 100 includes a robot 106, positioned within theinterior region 104, that is configured to provide a telecommunicationdevice 108 with a plurality of testing inputs that are associated withperforming a testing protocol to validate various functionalities of thetelecommunication device 108 (also referred to herein as device 108).The system 100 also includes at least one controller 110 that maytransmit commands (e.g. movement or actuation commands) to the robot 106and, upon receiving the commands, the robot 106 may operate accordinglyby performing an actuation of one or more motors. For example, the robot106 may execute a movement to cause a tip 112 of a movable arm to engagethe device 108, e.g. inputting a command sequence into a touch screen ofthe device 108, and thereby initiate an operation to be performed by thedevice 108 (e.g. initiate a telephone call, interact with anapplication, etc.). In some embodiments, the system 100 may include oneor more cameras 114 to capture imagery of the testing of thetelecommunications device 108 which may be processed by the controller110 to generate further actuation commands for causing the robot 106 todynamically move the tip in response to information displayed by thedevice 108, e.g. on a screen or touch screen of the device. For example,the system 100 may be configured to recognize certain types of userprompts and/or commands and respond accordingly. In some embodiments,the system 100 may also include one or more light sources (showndirectly above the antenna 116 in FIG. 1) in order to illuminate theinterior region 104 of the RF-shielded enclosure 102.

As illustrated, the system 100 may include an antenna 116 positionedwithin the interior region 104 to transmit to and receive from thedevice 108 RF signals in associated with the testing protocol(s) beingperformed within the interior region 104 of the system 100. Theantenna(s) 116 may be coupled to various end connectors which mayprotrude from an interior panel within the interior region 104. Forexample, the interior panel may include one or more SMA (male or female)type connectors and/or one or more QMA type connectors.

The system 100 may also include a power supply 118 which powers thecontroller 110, the robot 106, or both. For example, in the illustratedembodiment the power supply 118 is shown as being routed to thecontroller 110 and, in such an embodiment, one or more actuation controlcables may be routed from the controller 110 to the robot 106 totransmit actuation commands and/or power to the robot 106. The system100 may also include a communication channel 120 which enables a userterminal (e.g. shown in FIG. 4) to communicate with one or both of thecontroller 110 or the robot 106.

In some embodiments, the RF-shielded enclosure 102 may be opened at oneor more locations in order to access various portions of the interiorregion 104. For example, a front door 122 may be pivoted into an openposition to provide access to the robot 106 and a testing location thatis adjacent to the robot 106, e.g. the device is illustrated in thetesting location in FIG. 1, at which the robot 106 may enter commandsinto device 108 via the tip 112. In some embodiments, the system 100includes a device fixture configured to secure the device 108 in placeduring testing. In particular, during a testing protocol the robot 106may enter numerous different types of commands into the device 108 whichmay exert forces on the device 108, e.g. performing a swipe across atouch screen of the device may exert a lateral force through friction.Accordingly, the device fixture may secure the device in place toprevent (i) the device from moving and/or (ii) device location datadetermined during a calibration operation performed by the system frombecoming obsolete.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the front door 122 may be pivoted into a closedposition to shield the telecommunication device 108 from ambient RFenergy 202 propagating through an exterior region that is outside of theRF-shielded enclosure 102. For example, an electronic device 204 mayreceive or attempt to transmit data, e.g. receive or send SMS or MMSdata, which may result in ambient RF energy 202 being caused topropagate through the environment external but proximate to theRF-shielded enclosure 102, e.g. the external region. In someembodiments, there may be more than one door for accessing differentparts of the interior region. For example, the embodiment illustrated inFIGS. 1 and 2 includes a rear door 126 to allow access to a rear panelof the controller 110 and/or the robot 106.

In some embodiments, the system 100 may include one or more sensors 128to determine whether the RF-shielded enclosure 102 is closed such thatthe interior region 104 is being shielded from ambient RF energy. Insome embodiments, the one or more sensors 128 may also include a lightgate type sensor to determine whether an object, e.g. a user's hand, hasbroken a safety plane in front of the testing location. In response tovarious conditions sensed by the one or more sensors 128, the system mayperform various actions such as, for example, halting movements by therobot to prevent injury to an operator and/or damage to equipment. Insome embodiments, the system 100 may include an emergency stop buttonconfigured to immediately halt movement of the robot 106.

In some embodiments, the system 100 may respond to a determination thatthe RF-shielded enclosure 102 has been opened while a testing protocolis being performed by re-running an interrupted operation of the testingprotocol. For example, the testing protocol may include ten differentoperations to be validated and/or benchmarked with respect to thetelecommunication device 108. In a situation in which the system hascompleted testing of three of the ten different operations, and the door122 is opened while the fourth operation is being benchmarked and/orvalidated, the system 100 may determine whether it is necessary tore-run the fourth operation of the testing protocol. For example, if thetelecommunication device 108 is being validated in a way that simplyreceiving a passing score, e.g. successfully performing the operationwithin a predetermined amount of time, constitutes passing the testingprotocol then the system 100 may respond to the front door 122 beingopened while the fourth operation is being validated by determiningwhether the telecommunication device 108 passed that portion of thetesting protocol. If the fourth operation was timely completed despitethe potential interference from ambient RF energy then it may be assumedthat the device 108 would also pass without the potential interferenceand the system 100 may proceed to testing of the fifth operation. Incontrast, if the fourth operation failed or was not timely completedthen it may be assumed that the potential interference may have affectedthe outcome of the fourth operation and the system 100 may re-performthe fourth operation with the device 108 being shielded throughout thetest. Furthermore, if the telecommunication device 108 is beingbenchmarked or ranked against other devices in terms of performance thenhighly controlled and repeatable testing conditions may be desirable.Accordingly, in some embodiments, any breach of environmental controlssuch as, for example, opening of the RF-shielded enclosure 102 therebypotentially exposing the telecommunication device 108 to ambient RFenergy 202 may void the test results and result in the testing protocolbeing re-performed in part or in whole.

In some embodiments, the system 100 may include an automated lockingmechanism 130 that is configured to prevent the RF-shielded enclosure102 from being inadvertently opened while a testing protocol is beingperformed. For example, the locking mechanism 130 may be automaticallyengaged at the initiation of a testing protocol by a user from a userterminal. In some embodiments, the system 100 may be configured todetect whether the locking mechanism 130 is currently engaged andrespond by taking various actions such as delaying an initiation of atesting protocol until the locking mechanism is engaged. For example, ifa user attempts to initiate a testing protocol when the door 122 isopen, the system 100 may then notify the user that the door is ajar andwait until the door is closed and the locking mechanism 130 engagedbefore initiating the testing protocol.

Referring now to FIG. 3, in some embodiments, the system 100 may includevarious input ports. In some embodiments, the system 100 may include oneor more power inputs 302 which may be configured to accept one or moretypes of power. For example, in the illustrated embodiment the powerinput 302 includes two power input ports with one being configured toaccept 120 volt power and the other being configured to accept 240 voltpower. In some embodiments, the system 100 may include one or morecommunication ports. For example, communication port 304 may enable thecommunication channel 120 connect to a user terminal. Moreover, thevarious internal end connectors described and shown with relation toFIG. 1 may each have a corresponding external connection port as shownin FIG. 3. For example, the SMA type connectors may protrude from theinterior region to the exterior region.

Referring now to FIG. 4, an illustrative system 400 includes a robot 106positioned within a multi-layered RF-shielded enclosure 402 and a powerconditioner 404 to receive EM energy from a power source 406 and tofilter out any portion of the received EM energy which is not optimizedfor power transmission and which may cause unnecessary interference withtests if passed through to the interior region 408 of the multi-layeredRF-shielded enclosure 402. For example, electrical power transmissionlines are generally designed to transmit power at 50 Hz or 60 Hz fromone location to another location. At these power transmissionfrequencies a first portion of the EM energy 410 may transmit power veryefficiently with little of the EM energy being radiated out of the linesas ambient RF energy which may potentially interfere with testing of thedevice 108. Therefore, based on this portion of the EM energy being atone of these transmission frequencies, or within a predetermined rangearound these frequencies, the power conditioner 404 may transmit thatportion into the enclosure 402 to power the robot 106 or other internalcomponentry such as a controller 412.

Other portions of the EM energy may, however, be carried through thepower transmission lines at frequencies which the lines were notdesigned to carry energy at. For example, although typical powertransmission lines are not designed to carry RF energy, RF energynevertheless is often carried through these lines both intentionally andinadvertently. Moreover, the amount of EM energy that is radiated fromthe lines increases as a function of the frequency of thecarrier-current of the energy. In particular, while little of theelectrical power being transmitted in the roughly 50 Hz to 60 Hz rangewill be radiated out of the lines, a signal being carried at 100 kHzwill have a great amount of the signal radiated out of the line as RFenergy and that radiated amount may be a source of potentialinterference with testing of the device 108. One example of EM energywhich may be carried through the power transmission lines atcommunication frequencies includes absorbed EM energy that is generatedby a radio base station 414, e.g. such as an AM or FM base station or acellular base station, and absorbed by a power transmission line actingas an antenna. This type of absorbed EM-energy is illustrated in FIG. 4as the medium gray line of medium amplitude (as compared to the otherillustrated waveforms). Another example, of communication frequency EMenergy includes Power Line Communication (PLC) data signals such as, forexample, those used by the electric-utility industry to send commandsto, and thereby control, certain electrical equipment. Generally, PLCcommands are transmitted at frequencies less than 490 kHz; however, suchfrequencies may still radiate a significant portion of the signal out ofthe line as RF energy and cause interference with surrounding radioequipment such as the telecommunications device 108. This type of PLCdata signal energy is illustrated in FIG. 4 as the light gray line oflow amplitude (as compared to the other illustrated waveforms).

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the power conditioner 404 may receive EMenergy that includes both power transmission frequencies (e.g. 120 voltpower alternating at 60 Hz) and also communications frequencies (e.g.PLC signal data or absorbed RF-energy). In order to improve testingconditions within the interior region of the multi-layered RF-shieldedenclosure 402, e.g. in terms of lowering potential interference andincreasing repeatability of testing conditions, the power conditionermay readily transmit the power transmission frequencies into theenclosure 402, for example, to one or both of the robot 106 or thecontroller 412. In some embodiments, the power conditioner 404 filtershigh-frequency energy out of the EM-energy while transmittinglow-frequency energy into the RF-shielded enclosure 402 to powerinternal componentry. High-frequency energy may be defined as energyabove a predetermined frequency threshold while low-frequency energy maybe defined as energy below the predetermined threshold. For example, anyEM energy above/below 100 Hz (or 60 Hz for that matter) may be definedas high-frequency/low-frequency energy, respectively.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, the controller 412 may be equipped with one ormore processor(s) 416 and memory 418. The memory 418 may includeapplications, modules, and/or data. In some embodiments, the memory 418may include a platform manager 420 to interact with the robotic devicetester 106. The platform manager 420 may include a test protocol module422, an optical recognition module 424, a tip actuation module 426, andan RF signal attenuation module 428, among other possible modules thatenable the controller 412 to interact with the robotic device tester 106and the one or more antennas 116, and thereby perform test scenarios onthe device 108.

The test protocol module 422 may generate and transmit instructions thatcontrol movements of the robotic device tester 106, which performs oneor more tests by interacting with the telecommunications device 108. Thetest protocol module 422 may provide instructions to perform stresstesting, repetitive testing, performance testing (e.g., speed, batterylife, etc.), screen sensitivity testing, or other types of testing.

The optical recognition module 424 may identify imagery rendered by atouch screen display of the device 108. The optical recognition module424 may convert the imagery into text using optical characterrecognition (OCR). In some embodiments, the optical recognition module424 may also identify various objects, such as virtual buttons, links,or commands that are displayed by the touch screen device and may beinteracted with using the robotic device tester 106. In someembodiments, the system 400 may include one or more cameras 114. Thecamera(s) 114 may be connected to the controller 412, which may storethe imagery and perform image processing such as via the opticalrecognition module 424. The optical recognition module 424 may analyzerecorded imagery, which may be used by the platform manager 420 duringselection of a subsequent instruction to be performed by the robot 106.The camera 114 may be capable of recording still images, moving images(video), or both. In some embodiments, multiple cameras may beimplemented with the robot 106 to record imagery from various angles,perspective, and so forth. In some embodiments, the robot 106 mayinclude other sensors that can sense, measure, and/or record feedbackfrom the touch screen device, such as a sensor that can detect hapticfeedback from the touch screen device. In some instances, the controllermay use object recognition to determine content and/or commands renderedon the touch screen by a device. For example, the object recognition maydetermine a display of a notification message and associated commandssuch as “cancel” or “okay” that enable continued operation of thedevice.

The tip actuation module 426 may select and move tips to engage thetouch screen display of the device 108. The tips may be synthetic pads(e.g., rubberized, plastic, etc.), that are moveably controlled by therobotic device tester 106 to engage a touch screen display in accordancewith instructions from the test protocol module 422. In someembodiments, the tip actuation module 426 may select a tip from multipleavailable tips. In various embodiments, the tip actuation module 426 maybe used to controllably perform multi-touch operations on the device 108by moving two or more tips that simultaneously engage the touch screendisplay.

The RF signal attenuation module 428 may be configured to enablewireless communication of test signals to the telecommunications device108 during the testing protocol. The RF signal attenuation module 428may be coupled to the antenna(a) 116 through one or more of the endconnectors shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, e.g. the SMA type end connectors, toenable the signal attenuation module 428 to function as an RF basestation for testing one or more of the functionalities or features ofthe telecommunications device 108 under test. In some embodiments, thesystem 400 includes multiple antennas—individual ones of which areconfigured for communication via one or more different protocols, e.g.one antenna to communicate via 4G technology and one antenna tocommunicate via 3G technology and yet another to communicate via WiFi®.In some embodiments, the RF signal attenuation module 428 may work inunison with the test protocol module 422 and/or the tip actuation module426 to robotically instruct the telecommunication device 108, e.g. viaone or more commands input into a touch screen of the device 108, tosimultaneously communicate via more than one communication technology(e.g. simultaneously upload media data via a WiFi® while enabling avoice call via 4G).

Furthermore, the controller 412 may include multiple components withsome inside and some outside of the enclosure 402. In some embodiments,the controller may include both an actuation controller 412(1) fortransmitting commands to the robot 106 and a user terminal 412(2) fordisplaying information associated with the robotic testing. Inaccordance with various embodiments, the user terminal 412(2) mayinclude a monitor, which may display a user interface (UI) to enable theuser to interact with the various modules of the platform manager 420.In accordance with some embodiments, the system 400 may be configured todisplay on a GUI, e.g. the monitor of user terminal 412(2), asubstantially live imagery feed received from the camera 114 whiletesting is being performed within the RF-shielded enclosure during theperforming the testing protocol.

The actuation controller 412(2) may be positioned either interior to orexterior to the enclosure 402. In some embodiments, the actuationcontroller 412(2) is positioned within the interior region 408 of themulti-layered RF-shielded enclosure 402 and is communicatively coupledto the user terminal 412(1) via a communication channel 430. Thecommunication channel 430 may be an optical fiber (e.g. as depicted inFIG. 4) in order to limit the electrical signal current transmittedwithin the interior region 408. In particular, transmitting informationas pulses of light does not emit RF radiation nor is it susceptible todata corruption from RF interference. In some embodiments, thecommunication channel 430 may include a conductive wire type connection,e.g. a wire configured to transmit data via electric pulses such as aUSB cable, or a wireless communication link between an RF antenna withinthe internal region 408 and the actuation controller 412(2).

In some embodiments, the internal region 408 may include multiplesub-regions separated by partition(s) 432. For example, the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 4 includes a first sub-region 408(1) and a secondsub-region 408(2) that are separated by partition 432 which, asillustrated, also provides structural support to the robot 106. Thepartition 432 may separate the testing location, e.g. where the device108 is located during the testing protocols, from the location of theactuation controller 412(2). In some embodiments, the actuationcontroller 412(2) coupled to the robot 106 via an actuation-line, whichprovides power and commands to the robot, through a passageway betweenthe first and second sub-regions. Accordingly, in some embodiments,sub-regions are not entirely separated but rather are at least partiallyseparated, e.g. by a partition or RF baffle. In some embodiments, one orboth of the first and second sub-region may be lined with an RFabsorbing material 434 to minimize internal reflection of RF energywithin the interior region, e.g. RF energy which penetrated theenclosure and/or RF energy generated internal to the enclosure such asby the device 108 or actuation controller 412(2). Exemplary RF absorbingmaterials include, but are not limited to, ferrite-loaded rubber and/orcarbon-loaded foam. Furthermore, in various embodiments, the RFabsorbing material 434 may include numerous peaks to form and egg-cratetype shape to further assist in scattering and dissipating internal RFenergy.

In some embodiments, the multi-layered shielded enclosure 402 mayinclude two or more conductive layers 436 for providing suitableisolation at relevant frequencies. Conductive layers 436 may be madefrom any material suitable for shielding the relevant frequencies of RFenergy such as, for example, aluminum, copper, or steel. Furthermore,the conductive layers 436 may designed to provide substantial shieldingeffectiveness such as, e.g. higher than 60 dB or higher than 80 dB. Insome embodiments, the conductive layers 436 may be flexible in nature(as opposed to rigid) such as a cloth material embedded with stainlesssteel as the RF carrier material used to absorb and/or shield RF energy.In some embodiments, the conductive layers 436 may be a solid metallicsheet material, e.g. a aluminum sheet metal. In some embodiments, theconductive materials 436 may be separated by an insulator 438 such as,for example, a non-conductive foam or an air gap. In some embodiments,the conductive materials 436 may be connected to a ground path to enabledissipation of any absorbed energy.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an illustrative process to roboticallysimulate user interactions with a telecommunications device while thetelecommunications device is securely enclosed within an RF-ShieldedEnclosure, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure.

At block 502, a device is placed at a testing location that is adjacentto a robot within an interior region of an RF-Shielded enclosure. Insome embodiments, the testing location includes a fixture to which thedevice may be secured to prevent to the robot from inadvertently movingthe device. For example, the robot may be configured to move a tip, e.g.a tip that simulates a fingertip of a user, into contact with a touchscreen of the telecommunication device and, depending on the type ofcontact, the robot may shift the device's location absent the fixture.

At block 504, the telecommunication device and the robot may be enclosedwithin the RF-shielded enclosure to shield each, and in particular thetelecommunication device, from ambient RF energy propagating through theenvironment external to the RF-Shielded enclosure. For example, a testengineer's cellular device may receive a phone call transmission whilethe telecommunication device is within the RF-Shielded enclosure and, insuch a situation, the enclosure may shield the telecommunication devicefrom the RF energy transmitted or received by the engineer's cellulardevice. In some implementations, block 504 may also entail filteringcertain portions of EM energy out of energy supplied by a power source.For example, high frequency energy typically used to communicate datafrom one point to another may be filtered out of a power supply ofenergy. Low frequency energy typical of power transmission may, however,be allowed to pass to inside of the RF-shielded enclosure to powerinternal componentry such as, for example, the robot itself and/or anactuation controller communicatively coupled thereto.

At block 506, a testing protocol may be determined that includesinstructions to provide testing inputs into the telecommunicationdevice. For example, the testing protocol may relate to validating SMSand/or video call functionality of the telecommunication device.

At block 508, the robot may be caused to execute the instructions toprovide the testing inputs to the telecommunication device while both ofthe device and the robot are enclosed within the RF-shielded enclosureand, therefore, are substantially shielded from ambient RF energy thatis external to the enclosure. In some implementations, the robot isconfigured to mimic one or more human fingers inputting user commandsinto a touch screen of the telecommunication device within the shieldedinterior region of the enclosure.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific structural features or actsdescribed. Rather, the specific structural features and acts aredisclosed as exemplary forms of implementing the claims. The scope ofthe present disclosure and appended claims is not limited by theseexemplary forms. In particular, numerous variations, whether explicitlyprovided for by the specification or implied by the specification, suchas variations in structure features and/or methodological acts, whethernow known in the art or subsequently developed, may be implemented byone of skill in the art in view of this disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A radio frequency (RF) shielded robotic testing system comprising: an RF-shielded enclosure configured to shield a telecommunications device that is within an interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure from ambient RF energy propagating through an exterior region that is outside of the RF-shielded enclosure; a robot positioned within a first sub-region of the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure, the robot being configured to move a tip that is configured to engage a touch screen of the telecommunications device thereby providing, to the telecommunications device, a plurality of testing inputs associated with performing a testing protocol to validate one or more functionalities of the telecommunications device; an RF antenna positioned within the first sub-region of the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure, the RF antenna being configured to enable wireless communication with the telecommunication device during the testing protocol; an actuation controller positioned within a second sub-region of the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure that is at least partially separated from the first sub-region by a partition, the actuation controller being configured to provide commands that control the robot's movement of the tip with respect to the touch screen, the movement of the tip simulating, within the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure, user interactions with the touch screen to cause the telecommunications device to perform the one or more functionalities; and a user terminal positioned at the exterior region that is outside of the RF-shielded enclosure, the user terminal communicatively coupled with the actuation controller and the RF antenna, wherein the user terminal and the actuation controller are communicatively coupled by an optical fiber that passes between the interior region and the exterior region.
 2. The RF-shielded robotic testing system of claim 1, further comprising a power conditioner configured to receive electromagnetic (EM) energy from a power source, the EM-energy including at least power transmission frequencies and communications frequencies, the power conditioner being configured to transmit the power transmission frequencies from the exterior region to the robot and/or the actuation controller within the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure and to prevent transmission of the communications frequencies from the exterior region to the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure.
 3. The RF-shielded robotic testing system of claim 2, wherein the communications frequencies include Power Line Communication (PLC) data signals, or absorbed RF-energy that is initially generated by a radio base station and absorbed by a power transmission line, or both.
 4. The RF-shielded robotic testing system of claim 2, wherein the power conditioner is configured to filter high-frequency energy that is above a predetermined threshold out of the EM-energy and to transmit low-frequency energy that is below the predetermined threshold to the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure.
 5. The RF-shielded robotic testing system of claim 1, further comprising at least one camera positioned within the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure, the at least one camera being communicatively coupled with the user terminal and being configured to record imagery rendered, by the telecommunications device, in response to the plurality of testing inputs.
 6. The RF-shielded robotic testing system of claim 5, wherein the user terminal comprises at least one display configured to display a substantially live imagery feed received from the at least one camera during the performing the testing protocol.
 7. The RF-shielded robotic testing system of claim 5, wherein the user terminal performs optical recognition on imagery received from the at least one camera to recognize at least one of text or inputs displayed on the touch screen of the telecommunication device, and in response provide instructions to the actuation controller to cause the tip to move to simulate the user interactions based at least in part on the at least one of the text or inputs displayed on the touch screen.
 8. The RF-shielded robotic testing system of claim 1, wherein at least the second sub-region is at least partially lined with an RF absorbing material.
 9. A method comprising: placing a telecommunications device at a testing location within a first sub-region of an interior region of an RF-shielded enclosure adjacent to a robot positioned within the first sub-region that is configured to move at least one tip into contact with a touch screen of the telecommunications device based on movement instructions received from an actuation controller, the actuation controller being positioned within a second sub-region of the interior region that is separated from the first sub-region by a partition; enclosing the telecommunication device and the robot within the RF-shielded enclosure to shield the telecommunication device from ambient RF energy propagating through an exterior region that is outside of the RF-shielded enclosure; determining a testing protocol at a user terminal positioned at the exterior region that is outside of the RF-shielded enclosure, and communicating the testing protocol from the user terminal to the actuation controller through an optical fiber that passes between the interior region and the exterior region; and while the telecommunications device and the robot are enclosed within the RF-shielded enclosure, instructing the robot with the actuation controller based on the testing protocol to cause the robot to move the least one tip into contact with the touch screen to provide the plurality of testing inputs, thereby simulating user interactions with the touch screen of the telecommunications device.
 10. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising locking a door of the RF-shielded enclosure during performance of the testing protocol to prevent the RF-shielded enclosure from being opened.
 11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein a body of the RF-shielded enclosure that surrounds the interior region comprises a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and an insulator layer that at least partially separates the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.
 12. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the actuator controller or the robot converts the testing protocol received through the optical fiber from the user terminal from at least one optical signal into a corresponding electrical signal to control a performance of the robot during one or more tests based on the testing protocol.
 13. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising receiving, by the user terminal from a camera that is mounted within the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure, imagery rendered by the telecommunication device during the simulating the user interactions.
 14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising: transmitting an imagery feed from the camera that is mounted within the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure to a display of the user terminal that is positioned at the exterior region; and displaying the imagery feed on the display while the testing protocol is being performed within the RF-shielded enclosure.
 15. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising: receiving, at the exterior region, electromagnetic (EM) energy from a power source; based on a first portion of the EM-energy being within a power transmission frequency range, transmitting the first portion of the EM-energy to at least one of the robot or the actuation controller that is positioned within the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure; and based on a second portion of the EM-energy being outside the power transmission frequency range, preventing the second portion of the EM-energy from entering the interior region of the RF-shielded enclosure.
 16. The method as recited in claim 9, further comprising: in response to determining that a door of the RF-shielded enclosure is opened during the testing protocol, causing the robot to re-execute at least some of the instructions thereby re-simulating the user interactions with the touch screen of the telecommunications device.
 17. An apparatus comprising: a multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure including a first conductive layer that is at least partially separated from a second conductive layer by an insulator layer, the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure being configured to shield a device from ambient RF energy propagating outside of the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure; a robot positioned within a first sub-region of an interior region of the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure, the robot being configured to move at least one tip to provide, to the device, a plurality of testing inputs associated with performing a testing protocol to validate one or more functionalities of the device; an RF antenna positioned within the first sub-region of the interior region of the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure that is configured to enable wireless communication with the device during the testing protocol; and an actuation controller positioned within a second sub-region of the interior region of the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure that is at least partially separated from the first sub-region by a partition, the actuation controller being communicatively coupled with the robot and being configured to provide the robot with instructions based on the testing protocol to control movement of the at least one tip to simulate user interactions with the device within the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure, wherein at least the second sub-region is at least partially lined with an RF absorbing material.
 18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a light gate configured to detect whether an object has entered the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure, wherein the actuation controller is configured to prevent movement of the robot based on an object having entered the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure.
 19. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising an automatic locking mechanism configured to cause a door of the multi-layer RF-shielded enclosure to be securely locked during the testing protocol.
 20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein at least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are electrically coupled to a grounding wire. 